Railway hopper car door locking mechanism



March 15, 1966 w. FLOEHR RAILWAY HOPPER CAR DOOR LOCKING MECHANISMInventor: Walter L. Floehr 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 By Mm Filed Sept. 17, 1962his Attorney March 15, 1966 w. 1.. FLOEHR 3,240,156

RAILWAY HOPPER CAR DOOR LQCKING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 17, 1962 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor:

Walter L. Floehr his Attorney United States Patent 3,240,166 RAILWAYHOPPER CAR DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM Walter L. Floehr, Toledo, Ohio,assignor to Unitcast Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of OhioFiled Sept. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 224,021 9 Claims. (Cl. 105308) Thisinvention relates to locking mechanisms for railway hopper doors and isan improvement on the mechanisms of my copending applications SerialNos. 130,812, filed August 11, 1961, and 150,775, filed November 7,1961.

In the mechanisms disclosed in those applications, a pair of lock camsor latches are pivotally mounted at opposite sides of the door on ashaft riding in slots in brackets fixed to the door. As the door isswung toward closed position, the cams engage and automaticallyinterlock with a pair of hooks or catches fixed at opposite sides of thedischarge opening to the frame bounding that opening, to hold the doorin a partly closed position. Leverage applied by an operating bar to oneof the cams then causes both of the cams to turn in the hooks and byapplying a carnming action thereto, force the door to closed positionagainst the frame.

The mechanisms of the copending applications ordinarily operate in theabove manner. However, the tolerance between the cams and the mountingbrackets is such that the shaft at the automatic interlocking stage, mayhang in the upper portion of the slot in one or the other of thebrackets and prevent the cam from dropping into its seat in the relatedbook. If the unseated cam is that to which the operating bar is applied,no harm is done, since, seeing the condition, the operator can correctit by a downward push on the bar. But, if the unseated cam is the othercam at the far side of the door, the condition can go unnoticed, withthe result that on turning, that cam will slide over rather than in itshook and at the end of the operation, the door, instead of being lockedat both sides, will be locked at but one.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improvement in ahopper door locking mechanism of the character described, whereby themechanism is rendered proof against the above condition and, when lockedin closed position, is always locked at both sides.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in a hopper doorlocking mechanism of the character described, means whereby, it the camat the far side of door does not seat initially, it will automaticallybe cammed or otherwise forced into its seat as force is applied throughthe operating bar to move the door to closed position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter inthe detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims and be illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a typical hopper door andassociated structure to which a preferred embodiment of the lockingmechanism of the present invention has been applied;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the side of thestructure of FIGURE 1 from which the mechanism is operated;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view on an enlarged scale ofthe opposite or far side of the structure of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now in detail to the drawings in which like referencecharacters designate like parts, the improved hopper door lockingmechanism of the present invention in general is similar to themechanism disclosed in my above-mentioned applications. In theillustrated embodiice ment, the improved mechanism, designated as 1, isapplied to a typical drop bottom hopper door 2 swingably mounted at thetop on a frame 3 fixed to a hopper 4 of arailway hopper car for closinga discharge opening 5 boundedby the frame.

The mechanism 1 is comprised of a pair of generally L-shaped lock camsor latches, one 6, at the near, outer or operating side of the door 2and the other, 7, at the doors other, inner or far side. The latches 6and 7, While pivotably mountable on the frame 3, preferably are somounted on a shaft 8 mounted for rotation and sliding or shiftingparallel to the front or outer face 9 of the door in a pair of suitablyslotted brackets 10 and 11, fixed, as by riveting, to that face,respectively adjacent its near and far sides. The fixed catches orkeepers 12 for the preferred doormounted latches 6 and 7 necessarily aremounted on the frame 3 rather than the door 2. In the preferred form,the catches 12 are a pair of hooks fixed to or rigid with the sides ofthe frame 3 at opposite sides of the discharge opening 5 and eachpositioned to be engaged by and coact with one of the latches when thedoor 2 is swung toward closed position.

The latches 6 and 7 are not just cams but counterweighted cams, thenormally or in locked position lower portions or feet 13 of which arethe cams proper and the legs 14 of which are the counterweights. Withtheir feet 13 and legs 14 disposed substantially normal or at rightangles to each other, the latches or lock cams 6 and 7, in the unlockedor free condition of the door 2, are supported on positioning flanges 15on their brackets 10 and 11 in a ready position in which the toes ordistal portions 16 of the feet point toward the frame 3 and the legs 14are turned down and back of the toes. So positioned, the toes, as thedoor is swung toward closed position, engage and ride upwardly on theupwardly and rearwardly sloping front faces 17 of the hooks 12 untilthey reach the tips or points 18 of the hooks, at which point, if theshaft 8 is free, they will automatically drop into the concave seats orpockets 19 in the hooks and by interlocking with the latter, hold thedoor in a preliminary or partly closed position.

Assuming the latches and hooks at the above point to be in the intendedinterlocking relation, rotation of the hooks, as viewed in FIGURE 2, ina counterclockwise direction, as by a lever or actuating bar (notshown)inserted in a slot 13a in the near hook 6, will cause the toes 16 of thecams to turn in and against the seats 19 and in process cam or force thedoor to closed position. However, as mentioned earlier, this assumptionis not always sound. As indicated in FIGURE 3, the latch-mounting shaft8 slides or moves longitudinally of the slots 20 in the brackets 10 and11 and is in the upper reaches or limits of the slots at the point atwhich the toes 16 of the cams 6 and 7 are positioned to drop into theseats 19 in the hooks 12. Thus, if at that moment the shaft 8 for anyreason should hang or bind in either slot, the related cam 6 or 7 wouldnot seat in the hook and on subsequently being turned, ostensibly to camthe door closed, would ride instead on the sloping face 17 of therelated hook. It is this eventuality that the improved mechanism of thepresent invention effectively prevents.

While the aboveeventuality might apply to either cam 6 and 7, it isreadily observable and correctable by the operator if it is the near oroutside cam 6 that is affected. However, since positioned, the while, atthe operating side of the door, the operator can neither readily observenor easily correct failure of the inner cam 7 to seat because of hangingof the shaft 8 in the slot 20 in the adjoining bracket 11. It thereforeis the inner cam 7 that is of primary concern and that has been used asexemplary of the invention in the illustrated embodiment.

The improved mechanism of this invention makes use of the force orleverage applied by the operating bar when the door is in partly closedposition for turning the locking cams 6 and 7 relative to the hooks 12and thereby camming the door 2 to closed position, to exert a force forpositively seating, driving, or forcing one or either cam into its seat19. This it accomplishes by having cooperable or coactable means on thedoor and the cam which are so arranged and constructed as to contact orengage each other if, in turning of the cam relative to the hook, theshaft 8 is hung in the adjoining bracket, and, thereupon, by thereaction of the means on the cam against the means on the door,transform part of the applied force into a downward increment of forceon the cam and thus the shaft. The reactance on the door might be astriker plate or other means suitable to jar the shaft loose whencontacted by the cooperating means on the cam. However, since theturning force on the cam is not abrupt but progressive in itsapplication, the seating force should correspond. It therefore ispreferred that the reactance itself be a cam for progressively drivingrather than jarring or kicking the locking cam into its seat in therelated hook.

In the illustrated embodiment in which the inner or far cam 7 is adaptedto be positively seated, the preferred seating cam 21, instead of beinga separate member individually attached to the door 2, conveniently isintegral or rigid with the inner door bracket 11 and formed as a flangeor projection 21 extending or outstanding from the upper portion of thebrackets base 22 and thus from the front face 9 of the door 2 to whichthe base is affixed. The flange 21 as a whole or at least its underfaceis curved downwardly toward its outer end to provide on its underface adownwardly facing, arcuately concave cam face or surface 23 which, in adirection parallel to the plane of the doors front face 9, is disposedabove the longitudinally elongated slot 20 in the bracket in which theshaft 8 rides.

The cam face 23 is adapted to be engaged by a cam follower 24 on,connected to or carried by the counterweighting leg 14 of the inner orrelated latch 7 and is of a length, in a direction normal to the doorsfront face 9, suflicient to include the range of movement of the camfollower in the same direction. The cam face also is of such curvatureand so disposed relative to the cam follower 24 as to be adapted toengage the latter when the shaft hangs at some point in the adjoiningbracket 11 and apply through the follower to the cam 7 and the shaft 8an increment of force which, while obliq ue, is downward in a directionlongitudinally of the slot or parallel to the doors front face. Thus,whether the shaft hangs in the top or other part of the slot 20 in theadjoining bracket 11, the seating cam 21 is efiective positively todislodge the shaft and force or drive the toe 16 of the inner latch 7downwardly into its seat 19 in the related coacting hook 12 and soensure the interengagement between the latch and the hook upon which themechanism is dependent at that side for camming the door to closedposition.

I Since it is substantially at the start of the turning of the latches 6and 7 that the toe 16 of the inner latch 7 must be driven or forced intoits seat 19, if the action of the mechanism in camming or swinging thedoor 2 to closed position is to proceed smoothly, the curvature of thecam face 23 preferably is sharpest toward its outer end andprogressively decreases therefrom toward its inner end and, to makemaximum use of its camming action, altogether isof such contour assubstantially to follow the path of and maintain contact with thefollower not only initially but throughout the range of movement of thelocking cam to the locked position shown in FIG- URE 3 in which the camfollower 24 is stopped by an abutment 11a on the bracket 11 at the backof the cam face 23. It also is preferred that engagement of the camfollower 24 with the cam face 23 be facilitated by providing the seatingflange with a convex entry lip 26 leading to the cam face. To withstandthe not inconsiderable forces to which it may be exposed in service, theseating cam or flange 21 may be reinforced at or adjacent its inner orinboard side away from the leg 14 of the latch or locking cam 7 by a ribor web 25 readily formed as an extension of the web containing theshaft-seating slot 20.

The position of the cam face 23 transversely of the doors front face 9relative to foot and leg, 13 and 14, respectively, forming the main partof the latch, will depend cn whether the cam follower 24 is the outer ordistal end of the leg or otherwise formed. However, to ensure againstpossible interference of the seating cam with other parts of the lockingmechanism, it ordinarily will be preferred to inset the cam inwardly orinboardly of the door relative to the related latch 7 and to have thecam follower 24 fixed or connected to the leg and projecting orextending transversely therefrom, inwardly or inboardly of the door,substantially parallel to the shaft 8, with the projection of thefollower suflicient to bring it well within the transverse confines ofthe cam face 23.

The cam follower 24 may be of any suitable form and positioned anywhereintermediate the longitudinal extremities of the leg 14, so long as thedisposition and curvature of the cam face 23 relative to the followerare such that a line drawn through the point of initial contact of thefollower and the center of the shaft 8, with the latter in its uppermostposition in the slot 20 in the bracket 11, will slope downwardly towardthe doors front face 9 relative to a normal to that face passing throughthe axis of the shaft in the same position and so provide the requireddownward increment of force on the locking cam. However, the follower isentirely effective if, as in the illustrated embodiment, it is anarcuately convex lug formed integrally with the latch and disposed at oradjacent the outer end of the leg 4, the follower in such position,having the advantage of enhancing rather than detracting from thecounterweighting action of the leg.

As will be observed from FIGURE 3, the seating cam will not be contactedby the cam follower 24 on the latch 7 if the shaft does not hang or bindin the related bracket 11. In such case the seating cam, whileoverlying, will be clear or out of the way of the follower and playnopart in the operation of the locking mechanism, but the presence of theseating cam and the action of which it is capable, when occasiondemands, make the difference between a mechanism which usually willoperate as intended and one that cannot but operate in that manner.

From the above-detailed description it will be apparent that there hasbeen provided an improved door locking mechanism wherein interferencewith the desired action of the mechanism by the hanging of its shaft ina door bracket is prevented by providing for a positive drive of thelatch into its seat in the related hook in such event. It should beunderstood that the described and disclosed embodiment is merelyexemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to beincluded that do not depart from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. Locking mechanism for a hopper door member hinged to a frame memberof a railway hopper car,

comprising catch means fixed to one of said members, shaft means mountedon said other member for radial shifting substantially parallel to aface thereof, latch means mounted for relative rotation. on said shaftmeans and seatable in and thereupon separating said catch means fromsaid shaft means, said latch means normally'seating in said catch meanson swinging of said door member toward closed position for holding saidmember in said position and on subsequent rotation acting on said catchmeans for moving said door member to fully closed position, andlatch-seatingmeans operative on failure of said latch means to seat insaid catch means in said partly closed position with said door meansheld otherwise in said position, said latch-seating means includingmeans on said latch means and other member and coacting on rotation ofsaid latch means for seating said latch means in'said catch means duringmovement of said door member from partly to fully closed position.

2. Locking mechanism for a hopper door member hinged to a frame memberof a railway hopper car, comprising catch means fixed to one of saidmembers, shaft means mounted on said other member for rotation relativethereto and radial shifting substantially parallel to a face thereof,latch means mounted for relative rotation on said shaft means andseatable in and thereupon separating said catch means from said shaftmeans, said latch means normally seating in said catch means on swingingof said door member toward closed position for holding said member insaid position and on subsequent rotation acting on said catch means formoving said door member to fully closed position, and latch-seatingmeans operative on failure of said latch means to seat in said catchmeans in said partly closed position with said door means held otherwisein said position, said latch-seating means including cam means fixed tosaid other member, and follower means connected to said latch means,said follower means on rotation of said latch means engaging said cammeans for positively forcing said latch means to seat in said catchmeans during movement of said door member from partly to fully closedposition.

3. Locking mechanism for a hopper door member hinged to a frame memberof a railway hopper car, comprising catch means fixed to one of saidmembers, bracket means fixed to said other member, shaft means mountedon said bracket means for radial shifting substantially parallel to aface of said other member, latch means mounted for relative rotation onsaid shaft means and seatable in and thereupon separating said catchmeans from said shaft means, said latch means normally seating in saidcatch means on swinging of said door member toward closed position forholding said member in said position and on subsequent rotation actingon said catch means for moving said door member to fully closedposition, latch-seating means operative on failure of said latch meansto seat in said catch means in said partly closed position with saiddoor means held otherwise in said position, said latch-seating meansincluding means rigid with said bracket means, and means connected tosaid latch means and coacting with said rigid means on rotation of saidlatch means for positively seating said latch means in said catch meansduring movement of said door member from partly to fully closedposition.

4. Locking mechanism for a hopper door member hinged to a frame memberof a railway hopper car, comprising catch means fixed to one of saidmembers, bracket means fixed to said other member, shaft means mountedon said bracket means for radial shifting substantially parallel to aface of said other member, latch means mounted for relative rotation onsaid shaft means and seatable in and thereupon separating said catchmeans from said shaft means, said latch means normally seating in saidcatch means on swinging of said door member toward closed position forholding said member in said position and on subsequent rotation actingon said catch means for moving said door member to fully closedposition, latch-seating means operative on failure of said latch meansto seat in said catch means in said partly closed position with saiddoor means held otherwise in said position, said latch-seating meansincluding cam means fixed to said bracket means, and follower meansconnected to said latch means and coacting with said cam means onrotation of said latch means for positively seating said latch means insaid catch means during movement of said door member from partly tofully closed position.

5. Locking mechanism for a hopper door member hinged to a frame memberof a railway hopper car, comprising catch means fixed to one of saidmembers, bracket means fixed to said other member, shaft means mountedon said bracket means for radial shifting substantially parallel to aface of said other member, latch means mounted for relative rotation onsaid shaft means and seatable in and thereupon separating said catchmeans from said shaft means, said latch means normally seating in saidcatch means on swinging of said door member toward closed position forholding said member in said position and on subsequent rotation actingon said catch means for moving said door member to fully closedposition, latch-seating means operative on failure of said latch meansto seat in said catch means in said partly closed position with saiddoor means held otherwise in said position, said latch-seating meansincluding cam means fixed to said bracket means, and follower meansrigid with said latch means and coacting with said cam means on rotationof said latch means for positively seating said latch means in saidcatch means during movement of said door member from partly to fullyclosed position.

6. Locking mechanism for a hopper door member hinged to a frame memberof a railway hopper car, comprising a catch fixed to said frame, abracket fixed to said door, a shaft slideable radially substantiallyparallel to a face of said door in a slot in said bracket, acounterweighted locking cam rotatably mounted on said shaft, said camnormally seating in said catch on swinging of said door toward closedposition for holding said door in partly closed position and onsubsequent rotation camming said door to fully closed position, meansfixed to said bracket, and means connected to said locking cam andcoacting with said fixed means on rotation of said cam is said partlyclosed position of said door with said cam unseated for positivelyseating said cam in said catch during movement of said door member frompartly to fully closed position.

7. Locking mechanism for a hopper door member hinged to a frame memberof a railway hopper car, comprising a catch fixed to said frame, abracket fixed to said door, a shaft slideable radially substantiallyparallel to a face of said door in a slot in said bracket, a locking camrotatably mounted on said shaft, a counterweighting leg on said cam,said cam normally seating in said catch on swinging of said door towardclosed position for holding said door in partly closed position and onsubsequent rotation camming said door to fully closed position, aseating cam fixed to and outstanding from said door above said cam leg,and a follower connected to said leg and contacting said seating cam onturning of said locking cam relative to said catch in said partly closedposition of said door with said shaft hung in said bracket slot forpositively seating said locking cam in said catch during movement ofsaid door from partly to fully closed position.

8. Locking mechanism for a hopper door member hinged to a frame memberof a railway hopper car, comprising a catch fixed to said frame, abracket fixed to said door, a shaft slideable radially substantiallyparallel to a face of said door in a slot in said bracket, a locking camrotatably mounted on said shaft, a counterweighting leg on said cam,said cam normally seating in said catch on swinging of said door towardclosed position for holding said door in partly closed position and onsubsequent rotation camming said door to fully closed position, aseating cam fixed to and outstanding from said door above said cam leg,and a lug rigid with and projecting from said leg and contacting saidseating cam on turning of said locking cam relative to said catch insaid partly closed position of said door with said shaft hung in saidbracket slot for positively driving said locking cam into its seat insaid catch.

9. Locking mechanism for a hopper door member hinged to a frame memberof a railway hopper car, comprising a catch fixed to said frame, abracket fixed to said door, a shaft slideable radially substantiallyparallel to a face of said door in a slot in said bracket, a locking camrotatably mounted on said shaft, a counterweighting leg on said cam,said cam normally seating in said catch on swinging of said door towardclosed position for holding said door in partly closed position and onsubsequent rotation carnming said door to fully closed position, aseating cam fixed to and outstanding from said door above said carn leg,and a lug rigid with and projecting from said cam leg inwardly of saiddoor and contacting said seating cam on turning of said locking camrelative to said catch in said partly closed position of said door withsaid shaft hung in said bracket slot for applying a downward force toand positively driving said locking cam into its seat in said catch.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Wine 105308Campbell 105-308 Shaver et al. 105308 Dorey 105-309 Wine 105308 Ingram105-308 Dorey 105309 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primaly Examiner.

LEO QUACKENBUSH, MILTON BUCHLER,

Examiners.

1. LOCKING MECHANISM FOR A HOPPER DOOR MEMBER HINGED TO A FRAME MEMBEROF A RAILWAY HOPPER CAR, COMPRISING CATCH MEANS FIXED TO ONE OF SAIDMEMBERS, SHAFT MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID OTHER MEMBER FOR RADIAL SHIFTINGSUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO A FACE THEREOF, LATCH MEANS MOUNTED FORRELATIVE ROTATION ON SAID SHAFT MEANS AND SEATABLE IN AND THEREUPONSEPARATING SAID CATCH MEANS FROM SAID SHAFT MEANS, SAID LATCH MEANSNORMALLY SEATING IN SAID CATCH MEANS ON SWINGING OF SAID DOOR MEMBERTOWARD CLOSED POSITION FOR HOLDING SAID MEMBER IN SAID POSITION AND ONSUBSEQUENT ROTATION ACTING ON SAID CATCH MEANS FOR MOVING SAID DOORMEMBER TO FULLY CLOSED POSITION, AND LATCH-SEATING MEANS OPERATIVE ONFAILURE OF SAID LATCH MEANS TO SEAT IN SAID CATCH MEANS IN SAID PARTLYCLOSED POSITION WITH SAID DOOR MEANS HELD OTHERWISE IN SAID POSITION,SAID LATCH-SEATING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS ON SAID LATCH MEANS AND OTHERMEMBER AND COACTING ON ROTATION OF SAID LATCH MEANS FOR SEATING SAIDLATCH MEANS IN SAID CATCH MEANS DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID DOOR MEMBER FROMPARTLY TO FULLY CLOSED POSITION.